“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” — Will Rogers.

Research shows that students form their opinions about the tutor in the first 15 minutes. This means that if you lose your new student in the first 15 minutes of tutoring, it may be harder to grab their attention moving forward. So, as the remarkable tutor that you are, you should plan for your first interaction with your tutee very carefully. Today, I’d be sharing with you some tips to guide you as you prepare for your first class with a tutee. Even if it’s not your first time, I’m sure you can pick a few lessons from here.

1. Dress like the professional that you are:

Well, you might think… “I’m going to tutor a teenager or a pre- schooler, what on earth does my dressing have to do with it?” Everything! Your dressing has everything to do with your first class and even subsequent classes! Just because you’re teaching a teenager doesn’t mean you should dress like you’re going across your street to buy groceries. Your dress has a voice, and it speaks even before you utter a word. How would you like your tutee to perceive you? Friendly? Professional? Charismatic? Dress that way!

2. Arrive on time:

It’s your first day with your tutee, you don’t want to show up even one minute late! Most people believe that if you arrive late to a meeting, then you aren’t serious about it. However, if you arrive early then, you’re responsible. Ideally, arriving late to your first class doesn’t speak well about you. So try as much as you can to be on time.

3. Build a relationship:

Of course you were hired to teach, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t build a relationship with your tutee. Here’s what I mean by building a relationship – You could try to get to know your tutee by asking relevant questions about him/her. You could stick to school-related questions. For example, ask what his best subject is, who his best teacher is, what he’d like to be in future, etc.

You could also tell your tutee a little bit about yourself, but don’t make it too much about you. You could also lay down some ground rules to ensure there’s order. Building a relationship with your tutee is just about making sure there’s enough connection that allows for seamless learning – nothing more!

4. Do you homework:

What I mean is, be prepared. Show up with so much competence, not like someone who doesn’t know what he’s doing. On your first lesson, you’d want to earn your tutees trust, so make sure you put all your effort into ensuring that your class is a bomb! Get all the resources you need and put on your A game. Within the first few minutes of your lesson, your tutee should be able to say, “wow.” So put in the work!

At GATE Academy we are confident in the abilities of each tutor . Every single tip discussed above is needed for the first day of lesson with your tutee, and every other day involved! Don’t forget that.

With that said, I think it’s safe to pull the curtains now on today’s episode of Scale Up Series. I’d write to you again next week!